writing
CHILDREN'S BOOK
SAMPLE
Poems
Ode to the Masterpiece
The tinkling sound of a brush bumping the glass jar, as the paintbrush swirls in the clear water not yet dirtied by the emotion of the piece.
The blank white canvas stares back challenging, the paint brush’s will to create hoping to play to the doubts it sees.
As the brush smooths and blends the paint on the palette, like a warrior putting on its armor.
Before the canvas can react, it is hit with the paintbrushes’ movements gracefully pushing around setting the tone similar to a performer.
As the bright white gets taken over by the vivid emotions the canvas starts to fight back, playing with how the emotions are flowing on the page trying to create a different story.
However, the paintbrush is not willing to stop its dance determined to win earned glory.
Eventually, the paintbrush has to call for reinforcements as the paint muddies leaving the once clear water dark and displeased.
The paintbrush stares back at its unfinished masterpiece, for the first time noticing the one little patch of white radiating through like untouched snow against the piece.
It took off its armor as it started to once again dance along adding color but allowing the canvas to help guide and bend the paint as it formed.
As the masterpiece unfolded the paintbrush became grateful for the guidance the canvas provided as together they transformed.
Together the paintbrush and the canvas created a masterpiece so extravagant it left the two thinking they had been acting immaturely.
Wondering why they had always gone to war, when together they could achieve glory.
Creative Monster Haiku
Passes across the blank page
In a haunting perfect line
Putting a pen to page
It shrieks an evil laugh
Points out every imperfection
Cuts into my skin
Its thoughts in my veins
Turns toxic in my blank brain
Slowly turning off the senses
Only draw by intuition
Fight, push through, add more, please try
Something softly whispers
Whispers till poison reaches it
Breaks the spell, opening my eyes
Look down to the page
Today’s a draw
Monsters bleeding, bruised, staggering away There’s always tomorrow
Short Story Sample
The Wooden Toys
DingDONG, DingDONG! echoed through the house and up the stairwell into a boy’s room.
“I’m coming, I’m coming” the boy grumbled unhappily, “Who could that be this early in the morning?”
His feet thumped awkwardly with each lazy step as he slowly eased down the stairs stretching and yawning as he went. Stumbling to the door, he threw it open before blinking a few times in the early morning sunlight. The boy poked his head out of the door, looked left and didn’t see anyone, then looked right straight into the other houses around him and didn’t see a thing. Until he looked down and there was a box roughly the size for reams of paper.
“The mailman, this early in the morning, why did I even get out of bead?” the boy grumbled again slowly picking up the box before closing the door and letting the box fall hard on the kitchen table. The boy thought he heard a muffled “OUCH” after the box hit the table but didn’t think anything of it. He just walked back up the stairs disappearing to his room for the rest of the day, only coming out for the occasional piece of pie.
Later that day his mom came home and noticed the box on the table “who sent this?” she asked her son.
“Not sure. The mailman or something left it here this morning b’cause the doorbell woke me up” the boy grumbled.
“Well let’s open it, it looks like it was possibly sent by gran,” his mom suggested.
“Umph” he replied not thrilled about the sender or what might be inside.
“Oh, aren’t these just adorable!” his mom exclaimed as she held up seven different wooden toys of all different animals. “I think I’m going to display them in the living room, unless you want them?”
“No, it’s Ok. Seven is an unlucky number anyways, and animals aren’t really my thing. They’ll just creepily stare,” shuddering violently as he finished his last thought.
Later that night after everyone went to bed, a faint popping and ‘ahhs’ of relief could be heard from the living room as the toys slowly started to move.
“Everyone all right?” the elk softly called to the other toys.
“Yep.” All toys called back before dispersing and moving into smaller groups to gossip or inspect their new surroundings. Not long after, a faint distant chattering could be heard, if you listened hard enough. Which is exactly what the boy was doing, as he slowly crept out of bed, down the stairs, and flipped on the landing light only pausing briefly to skip the creaky step. The animals froze in their spots.
“Hello.” The boy shakily whispered, so not to wake his mom. Now the only thing that could be heard was the eerie scraping of the tree gently waving against the living room window. The boy hesitantly crept into the living room while nervously scanning the shadows until his gaze landed on the seven toys and instantly shuddered again. He then quickly, yet quietly, got a piece of pie out of the refrigerator and went back up to bed.
The next morning, the toys assumed everyone was out of the house and started quietly chatting with one another. Just as the lead toy started to engage a different toy in conversation, suddenly…
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, the toys can move AHHHHHHH!” The boy exclaimed out of shear panic. As he ran out of the room and stumbled on the landing before racing up the stairs stumbling on each step as he went. The toys didn’t realize the boy was still in the house. All toys but the elk froze.
“Stop freaking out kid! There is nothing to be afraid of…” the elk spoke sternly stepping toward the boy.
“YOU CAN SPEAK, I’m doomed, doomed you’re going to … to….” The boy’s panic drowned out the rest of the words the elk was saying because of his hyperventilating and cries for help.
“DO NOTHING!” all the toys shouted in unison, following the boy out of the room.
“THEIR SPEAKING BACK TO ME, THEY ARE TALKING, I’m a lost cause, tell my Mom I love her,” was all the boy managed to sputter out before panic took hold of him again.
The elk was annoyed as the boy kept panicking. Once the boy retreated back down the stairs then froze on the landing. Elk rolled his eyes while prancing to the bookshelf, then calmy climbed into it. Suddenly, “THUD,” as the Elk pushed the stack of cookbooks off the bookshelf, causing the floor to shake. All heads turned, and all noise promptly ceased.
“Can you cut out the panic, PLEASE before you scare the neighbors,” the Elk sighed with an annoyed, exasperated tone. “And while we’re on the topic, your mother makes the best pie we’ve had in ages. Fluffy, yet buttery sweet with a tart filling. It was delicious so, complements to the chef.” All the toys who had joined the elk in the stairway enthusiastically nodded in agreement.
“YOU GUYS TOOK THE LAST PIECE!” the boy angerly shouted. “That was my piece of pie, I knew there was something…” As he stomped while turning to continue back up the stairs.
“Maybe not worth full-blown panic,” the rabbits whispered and nodded to each other; we are just wooden toys after all.
“I heard that!” the boy sarcastically replied as he turned to face the toys again.
“Good then you’re not as dense as you look,” the rooster replied with an eye roll.
“HEY, you’re the dense one!” the boy shot back, angerly folding his arms while glaring.
“Then why are you flipping out over some wooden toys, and for your information, I Can Float so who’s still the dense one now?” the rooster shot back cockily.
With another dramatic THUD of books landing on the floor, “CAN ALL OF YOU CUT THIS OUT!” the elk crossly shouted. “Can I please explain so our ‘Friend scaredy pants’ over here doesn’t set us on fire like were kindling?!?”
The boy opened his mouth to say something but was cut off with, “You will get to answer all questions when I’m finished,” Elk snarkly remarked.
“Now it was a gloomy morning, rolling fog, cloudy, not much sun… just kidding. You should see the look on your face…” elk started as all the toys laughed. Some toys were wiping tears from their eyes. “I’ll tell the real story…” the elk said once all the laughter died down. “We followed your mom home from her bakery, we rang your doorbell, and you brought us in. We were inside the cardboard box. We could play it off like you grandmother gave you us for Christmas. But someone…” as the elk gave the boy a massive eye roll. “Someone, has been watching too many scary movies, and thought we were some sort of haunted toys. We just wanted pie, a warm, dry place to live, and a little affection so we didn’t rot from the inside out, like a worn-out stick,” the elk vented as he waited for the shouts, but none came. “So……”
“You followed MY MOM HOME?!?” the boy sarcastically shouted “FOR PIE???”
“What did you think, we’re just going to lurk around the shadows for the rest of time?” the dinosaur gently asked.
“Pfft, I don’t know nothing scary, or as farfetched as that,” as a huge blush started spreading across his freckled face.
“Well, that’s a relief,” the giraffe responded sarcastically as he eye rolled toward elk.
“So, so you guys like pie?” the boy hesitantly asked while cautiously approaching the elk.
“Oh, do we ever,” elk laughed as the rest of the toys and the boy dissolved into smiles and a lot of laughter too.